fun

Finally, a Scarf!

My poor sister… She has been waiting, patiently, since MARCH for her birthday present! The poor thing probably thought she was never going to get it. If I had been much more determined to knit it, she probably would never have received it!

I originally started knitting the scarf, using the Falling Water pattern. A lovely pattern, to be sure… However, not the best for a brand-new knitter, such as myself. And not the best for the yarn that I was using. It is the now-discontinued Knit Picks Kettle Dyed, in Auburn. Lovely pattern, lovely yarn, not lovely together. The color changes in the yarn, while subtle, still managed to swallow the delicate lace pattern. After SEVERAL frogging sessions, I put it down and began searching for another pattern. Well, eventually, I decided that if I knit it, it would never be finished. So, I decided to find a nice crochet pattern.

I started three different patterns, again disliking the combo of the yarn and pattern. I finally settled on the Spring Ripple Scarf. I’ve never done dc2tog before, so I had a few re-starts on this one as well… At one point, I looked at sweetie and said “I think this yarn is cursed! Even a simple pattern is getting messed up!” But, I persevered; and five days later, the yarn is all gone, made into my new favorite scarf pattern!

Behold! My sister’s scarf! Please excuse the terrible lighting. I was anxious to get photos and I don’t get home from work until after dark.

This scarf was made using a fingering-weight 80% superwash merino (so soft!), 20% nylon, sock yarn and size F (3.75mm) crochet hook. And since I have neither wires/pins nor mat, it was not properly blocked. But, I think it blocked relatively well, regardless.

I rinsed it in warm water and some of my hair conditioner and then folded it and hung it on a coat hanger. I tugged and pulled and tugged some more, stretching it out. After a few hours, I flipped it over and did some more tugging. Then, this morning, I opened it up and strung it over two coat hangers, again tugging and pulling. It was dry when I got home. It’s not perfectly even, but it is nice and wide and long. I know she likes her scarves like that.